Wealden wildflower meadow creation & management.

Wildflower meadows have been in unprecedented decline in the last 30 years. They are an important habitat and a very attractive feature in the Wealden landscape. Conserving our few remaining real "wild" meadows is vital. Although new garden meadows are no substitute for these historic meadows which have often been managed traditionally for centuries, you may then be able to find a part of your garden (or estate) that you could turn into a wildflower habitat. Meadows are naturally beautiful. They soon become fascinating, inspiring and interesting places to visit and attract a wide variety of wildlife.

You can create a meadow on a very small plot, although large areas can look spectacular over the years, you will need large amounts of PATIENCE, but we are sure that as gardeners you already have that (!!?)… So, here are some initial points to bear in mind;

i) Choose an area in the garden which is sunny and open.(Not shaded by trees, or walls, or shrubs...)

ii) Try to choose somewhere a bit off the beaten track. This is because wildflower species are delicate little plants and don’t always stand up to frequent trampling by big heavy boots…

iii) Try to find a part of the garden that has not had fertilisers added for a few years. The soil fertility needs to be low to support the diversity of flowers and grasses of old traditional meadows ( with less competition from taller, coarser plants which tend to soon out compete those lovely delicate wildflowers..)

iv) Avoid areas that have lots of nettles, thistles and docks, (for the same reasons.)

v) As the meadow progresses these "weed species" need to be removed/ at least controlled if they appear as they will compete for light and moisture.

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